California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) vs New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) (B) and New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) (A) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 73% and 97% respectively — within a few points of each other.
With grades this close, the comparison turns on plan-specific factors: status (active vs frozen), participant maturity, sponsor financial health, and multi-year trajectory rather than the headline composite.
Verdict
New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 24.2 percentage points (97.1% vs 72.9%). New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) covers 433,000 participants.
| Metric | California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) | New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 73/100 (B) | 82/100 (A)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 72.9% | 97.1%* |
| Total Assets | $318.0B | $131.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $436.0B | $134.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $118.0B | $3.9B* |
| Participants | 985,000 | 433,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.2% | 6.8%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | low |
| Sponsor | State of California | State of New York |
New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 24.2 percentage points (97.1% vs 72.9%). New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) covers 433,000 participants.